A House Divided

by Catherine Cookson

Book Overview

At the end of the Second World War, Matthew Wallingham returns home, blinded and uncertain about his future. Worse yet, his father is ill, and his mother is obviously unhappy, while his younger... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0552146102
• ISBN13: 9780552146104
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Corgi Books
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Good but not her best

World War II may be over, but for many of the soldiers the battle has just begun. Captain Matthew Wellingham struggles with being blind, having much of his skin destroyed, and a rage bordering on insanity. Only the gentle caring of Nurse Elizabeth Ducksworth pulls him through his period of lunacy.After being discharged from the hospital, Matt meets Liz and knows he is in love with her. Liz goes home to end her engagement to a big bully who tries to rape her. Only her brother stops him from succeeding. Liz and Matt see each other and confess their love for one another. Though his parents and gran adore her, the path to happiness is wrought with troubles caused by other males demanding that Liz be theirs despite her own desire for Matt.The concept of a nurse falling in love with her patient suffering from several combat related injuries including blindness seems very interesting on the surface. Additionally, the legendary Catherine Cookson affectionately and vividly describes 1946 England. However, much of the conflict in the plot of A HOUSE DIVIDED comes from external sources, making the story line appear contrived rather than free flowing. No internal conflict between the lead couple exists in this tale, leading to the belief that this could have been a classic, but ultimately falls a bit short.Harriet Klausner